1946-1960 - The Golden Years

The landscape of baseball
changed forever during this era. Black athletes were no longer kept off
the field. They were allowed to become Major League players thanks to Jackie
Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey.

In 1947, Rickey's Dodgers brought Jackie
Robinson, 28, up from Montreal to join the Major League squad. What happened
after that was a flood of new players into the game and an increase in the
talent pool.

In terms of game play, stolen bases were on the
outs and home runs were suddenly in fashion. Batters rarely choked up on the bat
anymore and pitchers face aggressive hitters intent on hitting the long ball.

With the exception of the
Chicago Cubs, baseball ventured into a new area -- night baseball. Lights
at parks allowed the games to become more accessible to those working during
the day. Baseball also started to make its way into homes by the radio
and later by the television. Countless fans, young and old, could now listen
to the exploits of their baseball heroes through game
broadcasts.

The period also brought shifts in a number of
franchises as teams moved into new areas and new markets. Baseball moved west as
the Dodgers and Giants found new life on the West Coast. The Braves moved from
Boston to Milwaukee and then to Atlanta. The Browns moved from St. Louis to
Baltimore. The Athletics moved to Kansas City and then, eventually, to Oakland.

Baseball was now set up for what would become
one of its most profitable and popular times, the Baseball Boom.